It's been years since there was a decent football game for the PC. Some of you I have bored talking about Front Page Sports: Football Pro 98. Axis Football 18 (released 20 years later ... 20 years!) isn't quite as good as FPS:FP98, but it's getting there.

It's got an arcade mode where you can control the players with a gamepad. It's got native Steam Controller support. There is a franchise mode that I haven't tried. The AI isn't quite there - I wanted to see how far I could get with a TE screen, which I believe is the play pinback says works on all football games ever made. The answer is pretty freaking far. It would be great if they noticed you running the same play over and over again.

It does work - so the game does not have real teams (which is fine with me) and the game does not have real players (not the end of the world) so I don't know if that play worked because the rando team I played against sucked at defense or what. I do know that FPS shut that shiiiiiiiiiiiit down if you tried running the same play too often. I will take to their forum and ask them a question and see what they say!

I threw for 160 yards to my TE in 4 minute quarters. It works. It works TOO well.

In the second game with different teams my QB threw for 479 yards and 5 touchdowns, mostly going to the TE but going to a WR and RB as well. The game picks the best player for each game. The first time it did pick the TE, which was nice. The second time it picked the QB. So they have "identify the best player" down pat.

I threw for 160 yards to my TE in 4 minute quarters. It works. It works TOO well.

In the second game with different teams my QB threw for 479 yards and 5 touchdowns, mostly going to the TE but going to a WR and RB as well. The game picks the best player for each game. The first time it did pick the TE, which was nice. The second time it picked the QB. So they have "identify the best player" down pat.

So, the TE drag play has the other receivers doing interesting thing. One of the wide outs runs about thirty yards deep and then breaks to the left. The computer can't believe that I'd run the exact same play over and over again so sometimes that wideout is free.

It is the single greatest thing in computers going on right now when the wideout breaks free, loses the opposing corner and I anticipate it and hit him with a deep ball.

I am beating the computer 40-3 at this point, so I need to see if I can go a level up. But after all the frustrations of 2018, throwing the deep ball in Axis Football 2018 is cathartic.

It does work - so the game does not have real teams (which is fine with me)

This is so they pay no (very stiff) licensing fees to the NFL

and the game does not have real players

or the NFL Players Union.

You can't get the license by paying the league or the players. One of the first things the current commissioner of the NFL did when he was hired was state that he was selling the rights to the league to exactly one creator of console and computer games. Electronic Arts wrote the biggest check, so they have no competition for NFL games each year. I don't remember how long the deal is, but I believe I heard that it's already expired once and EA re-upped. Predictably, with no competition, they make an absolute dogshit game each year. It's important to me that you understand what a piece of shit current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is, Paul.

There are games like Axis Football which do computer generated stuff. I kind of like the computer generated stuff.

UPDATE: I went to a higher level and the game did get tougher. A lot of my concerns are starting to melt away at the higher level of play. Additionally, I got torched by a guy in the game who is named "Hollywood Sports." That is awesome. He is a wide receiver and I lost my first game because his QB connected with him for 3 times for almost 300 yards and three scores. I had no answer for him.

I played one more game where I won in overtime. It is definitely more difficult. My star wide receiver broke his shoulder and is out for the season. I traded two defensive linemen to Washington for Hollywood Sports. My team is based in Las Vegas. I feel he has the perfect name and town.

I hope so. He is the source of most joy in my life right now. I won my last game 8-0. He had three deep ball catches which kept my team alive. I've never seen this - a sports game that actually got more difficult when you upped the difficulty not because of cheese, but because the defense played better and offense was better.

This will be the last thing I post here about it. I might do a proper review on Caltrops or something.

I just finished the first "Tier" of this game. There are three - you start at the bottom and you play two playoff games for the right to play in the Tier 3 Bowl. The worst team from Tier 2 ("Cleveland Coyotes") plays my team, the Las Vegas Outlaws, who were the best team in Tier 1.

It was pretty damn exciting.

I once played a few seasons of a football game called Unnecessary Roughness. (I can't remember if it was the 95 or 96 version.) I played as the Saints and got to the NFC Championship game against the Lions. I had a few plays that worked and felt I knew how the AI handled things. I was dorking around at the end and I want to say something happened that had never happened before, like the computer kicking a field goal to win the game as time expired, where in the regular season they always tried to score a TD. Something like that. They made the field goal, I lost the NFC Championship game and that was it, the season was over after having played 16 games and a playoff game to get to that point. I was worried I'd play a "Tier 2" team in this and get blown out.

The Tier 2 teams are better, but not so better that it is ridiculous.

I did win the game and I am in Tier 2 now. But before all that happened, Axis Football 18 has modes for the following:

- You see awards.
- You see who retired from your team.
- You have the opportunity to re-sign your players whose contracts expired.
- You get to see which players have improved and gotten worse for the next season.
- There is a draft! You get to see grades for the rookie class and how they rate in various categories and then you get to make your picks.

This is all fun stuff and the sort of thing I like about computer football games. It all worked great. And the gameplay has held up as well - the second tier has teams that are tougher, that can run the ball a little better, that can cover a little better, that are better at tackling. This is really fun.

I never thought we'd have a good non-Madden football game again (some would amend that to just say there'd never be another good football game again) but Axis Football 18, while not perfect, is really good and a bit addicting.

I got 100% cheevos on it, which I have never done before. 52 hours, but I think 16 of that was me leaving it on overnight. It's a great game. If they shore up some plays that always work on defense I'd say it would be the perfect football game.